FAYETTEVILLE, NC - The Fayetteville State University women's basketball team used a smothering defense to completely shut down Johnson C. Smith for most of the way in a 56-31 victory at Felton J. Capel Arena on Saturday afternoon.

De' Aira Smith (Godwin, NC) had 13 points to pace the Lady Broncos, while Bria Robinson (Charlotte, NC) chipped in 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench. The win puts FSU at 12-4 overall, 5-2 in the CIAA and 1-0 in the Southern Division. JCSU drops to 10-6, 5-2, 0-1.

"We wanted to get off with defending our Southern Division championship," Lady Broncos coach Eva Patterson-Heath said. "It was about being consistent. We knew what we wanted to do and we executed."

For all intents and purposes, FSU had the game in firm control by the half. The Golden Bulls were limited to just 11 points in the game's first 20 minutes and committed 15 turnovers in that stanza, right around their average per game this season.

FSU led 33-11 at the half.

Johnson C. Smith only had one lead the entire game. That was a 2-0 margin quickly erased on an Amber Calvin (Fayetteville, NC) 3-pointer at the 17:39 mark. That 3 was the start of a 28-3 run that took away any possible suspense.

For the game, FSU outscored JCSU 25-8 off of turnovers, 26-10 in the paint and 8-6 on second-chance points. JCSU had just five assists in the ballgame.

The Golden Bulls were limited to 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) shooting in the first half. FSU, meanwhile, was 13-of-29 in the first 20 minutes and converted all six of its free throw attempts.

Robinson (nine points) and Deja Middleton (Richmond, VA) (eight points) almost matched the Golden Bulls' offensive production in the first half.

In the second frame, JCSU was able to produce a little more offense but was still limited to 20 points. The Golden Bulls shot just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent ) after halftime and just 6-of-12 from the foul line.

Smith scored seven of her points after the break and went 3-of-5 from the field. The Lady Broncos shot 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) after halftime.

The Golden Bulls couldn't claw closer than 19 after the break.

Fayetteville State returns to the court at 4 pm Wednesday for a home contest against Livingstone.